Jalalabad, Sept 02: The death toll from Sunday’s powerful earthquake in eastern Afghanistan has climbed past 1,400, with more than 3,000 people injured, AP reported citing Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.
Rescue operations are underway in remote mountainous areas hit hardest by the 6.0-magnitude quake. A U.N. official described the effort as a “race against time,” warning that the number of casualties could rise sharply.
The earthquake struck several provinces, flattening villages and trapping residents under mud-brick and wooden homes that collapsed under the impact. The difficult terrain has slowed both rescue and relief work.
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“We cannot afford to forget the people of Afghanistan who are facing multiple crises. The resilience of communities has been saturated,” said Indrika Ratwatte, the U.N.’s resident coordinator in Afghanistan. He urged the international community to step in quickly, saying, “These are life and death decisions while we race against time to reach people.”
